Capitol Insider

Bob Beatty, a Washburn University political science professor, says the packed Republican primary for U.S. Senate is forcing candidates to the right in hope of snagging an endorsement from President Donald Trump, which may be a risk for the GOP nominee in the November general election.

Kansas Department of Labor secretary Delia Garcia says agency’s ability to handle unprecedented number of calls and claims has improved after deployment of IT SWAT team, additional help from Amazon call center, and hiring and training of staff members who understand 1970s computer system

Fanny Fang, whose family runs Asian Market in Manhattan, and Shana Bender, an organizer for the Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice, took a stand after Riley County Commissioner Marvin Rodriguez suggested threat of COVID-19 is low because there are no Chinese people in the community.

Chad Anderson, chief clinical officer for KVC Health Systems, offers advice for coping with the loneliness of being isolated at home.

By early March, it was obvious to Gov. Laura Kelly that a crisis was looming. She pulled together members of her administration to form the approach that guided a series of executive orders, leading up to the announcement Saturday — a day after this episode was recorded — that she was placing the entire state under orders to stay at home except when necessary.

The Statehouse was swept up in the response to the spread of the coronavirus in Kansas. As Gov. Laura Kelly began issuing directives on school closures, foreclosures and evictions, some of her partisan rivals bristled. There were charges the governor had overreacted and panicked. This episode tracks conversation in political terms by looking at a five-day period, beginning with last Sunday, March 15.

Vicki Hiatt, chairwoman of the Kansas Democratic Party, and Ben Meers, the party’s executive director, say the shift to mail-in balloting and ranked-choice voting for the state party’s May 2 presidential primary in Kansas will increase turnout.

Garden City High School student Austin Morren and Mill Valley High School student Alyssa Canning discuss youth vaping and efforts to address it with Jordan Feuerborn, of Cancer Action Network, and Jordan Roberts, of Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition.

Students from six state universities in Kansas talk about their research projects during the 17th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit at the Statehouse.

Equality Kansas executive director Thomas Witt, Rep. Susan Ruiz and Rep. Brandon Woodard say a bill requiring transgender children to compete in school sports according to gender at birth is discriminatory, repugnant and dangerous.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab talks about the proposed constitutional amendment on abortion, implementation of a law aimed at allowing voters to use any polling location in their county, and legislation that would require the use of paper ballots.

Rachel Marsh, of Saint Francis Ministries, and Christie Appelhanz, executive director of the Children's Alliance of Kansas, talk about the governor's plan to bring social services under a single umbrella and other issues impacting the state foster care system.

Lawrence Democratic Sen. Marci Francisco and Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, discuss a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution regarding the right to abortion in Kansas. Wagle voted for the amendment, while Francisco voted against it. The Senate-passed resolution is pending before the House.

Dorothy Barnett, executive director of the Climate and Energy Project, and Zach Pistora, a lobbyist with the Kansas Sierra Club, talk about a study of utility rates in Kansas.

Bob Beatty, a Washburn University professor who has written profiles of presidential candidates in the Democratic field, talks about U.S. Sen. Joe Biden surpassing expectations and putting distance between himself and his chief rivals, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

As America's top diplomat, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is one of The Topeka Capital-Journal's selections for Kansan of the Year. Pompeo and several of his closest friends talk about his journey from West Point to the State Department.

Alan Cobb, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber, joins the Tax Foundation's Katherine Loughead, Erica York and Michael Lucci for a discussion on comprehensive tax reform in Kansas. The organizations have produced a 150-page report with recommendations.

Rex Buchanan, Josh Svaty and Burke Griggs collaborated to produce "Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills," a 224-page book recently published by University Press of Kansas. They talk about their project in this week's edition of Capitol Insider.

Braxton Moral, the 17-year-old who graduated from Ulysses High School and Harvard University in May, says he enjoys being at Washburn University in Topeka. The aspiring politician wants to study law before making laws.